AFRICA: The head of Libya’s UN-backed unity government called for urgent talks after rival administration forces seized the main oil ports.

AMERICAS: The Obama administration plans to raise the number of refugees admitted to the US to 110,000 in 2017 from 85,000 this year.

ASIA: The Philippines will explain President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal campaign against illegal drugs to the UN amid mounting criticisms.

EUROPE: The number of Syrians and others fleeing Turkey for Greece is growing rapidly once again as an agreement reached months ago to curb the flood of refugees into Europe seems to be on the verge of collapse.

MIDDLE EAST: The first 36 hours of the Syrian ceasefire appeared “positive,” a monitoring group said, but desperate people were still awaiting much-needed aid deliveries.

TECHNOLOGY: The UK’s new National Cyber Security Center wants industry and government to work more closely together to combat cyber-crime, including automated defenses.

TOP STORY

European Union: EU’s Juncker delivers EU “state of the union.”

The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, sought to rally support for the EU, saying the bloc battered by the UK Brexit referendum was not about to break up despite its existential crisis.

Juncker also said the EU “still does not have enough Union.”

Juncker cited growing nationalism among countries in response to the ongoing refugee crisis as a major issue that needs to be tackled, and said “the scope in which we cooperate is far too small.”

He also warned the UK that it could not expect access to the EU’s internal market without free movement of people – there could be no “a la carte access”.

He also proposed the creation of “European defense fund” by the end of the year, geared at stimulating research in the defense sector, along with a European common defense force.

Libya: The head of the country’s UN-backed unity government called for urgent talks after rival administration forces seized the main oil ports. (AFP)

Niger: Seven Nigerien soldiers were killed and eight others wounded in two separate attacks by Boko Haram Islamists over the past week. (AFP)

Nigeria: Boko Haram released a new video without its leader Abubakar Shekau, lending weight to claims by the Nigerian army he had been gravely wounded in an airstrike. (AFP)

AMERICAS

Region: The founding members of Mercosur will give Venezuela until 01DEC to meet its membership requirements or be suspended from the trade bloc. (Reuters)

Region: Latin America’s economies need to adjust to the drop in demand for raw materials in foreign markets, the World Bank said. (EFE)

United States: The Obama administration plans to raise the number of refugees admitted to the country to 110,000 in 2017 from 85,000 this year. (WSJ)

ASIA

Region: India and Afghanistan called for an end to all sponsorship, support and sanctuaries to militants, including those who have committed violence in the two countries. (AP)

Indonesia: Police say senior figure Muhammad Basri from the East Indonesia Mujahideen militant group has been captured. (AP)

Malaysia: Democracy group Bersih will hold a protest rally calling for the immediate resignation of PM Najib Razak on 19NOV. (Reuters)

Maldives: Exiled opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed said he is in talks to “legally topple” current president Abdulla Yameen. (AFP)

Philippines: The nation will explain President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal campaign against illegal drugs to the UN amid mounting criticisms. (DPA)

EUROPE

Region: Germany will send up to 650 troops to join a new NATO mission to combat arms smuggling by the Islamic State militant group in the Mediterranean Sea. (Reuters)

Region: The number of Syrians and others fleeing Turkey for Greece is growing rapidly once again as an agreement reached months ago to curb the flood of refugees into Europe seems to be on the verge of collapse. (NYT)

Region: Former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage said the British government will likely trigger formal talks to leave the EU in JAN2017. (Bloomberg)

MIDDLE EAST

Israel: Former president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres remained in a serious but stable condition after the 93-year-old suffered a major stroke. (AFP)

Kuwait: The nation is planning to build an enormous DNA database to fight crime and terrorism, compiling the genetic makeup of Kuwaiti citizens but also other residents and even temporary visitors. (WP)

Syria: The first 36 hours of the Syrian ceasefire appeared “positive,” a monitoring group said, but desperate people were still awaiting much-needed aid deliveries. (DPA)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Technology: The UK’s new National Cyber Security Center wants industry and government to work more closely together to combat cyber-crime, including automated defenses. (TechCrunch)